CISF cop dies after turning gun on self

A 45-year-old Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) constable allegedly committed suicide on Sunday after shooting himself with his .9mm service pistol near the rear entry gate of the Haryana civil secretariat. He was taken to PGI where he was declared brought dead on arrival.

chandigarhUpdated: Nov 17, 2014 13:00 IST

HT Correspondent Hindustan Times

A 45-year-old Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) constable allegedly committed suicide on Sunday after shooting himself with his .9mm service pistol near the rear entry gate of the Haryana civil secretariat.

He was taken to PGI where he was declared brought dead on arrival. The postmortem will be conducted at Government Multispecialty Hospital, Sector 16, on Monday. He is survived by two sons and a daughter.

According to the police, preliminary investigations revealed the constable, Jai Shankar Mishra, a resident of Nayagaon, had been suffering from depression lately. The cops said the bullet had entered just under his chin, indicating it was a self-inflicted wound, though no suicide note was found at the scene. They added Mishra was posted in Chandigarh about six-months ago and his promotion to a head constable was in process.

The police officer investigating the incident, Balbir Kanda, said the incident occurred around 6am when Mishra was on his way to deposit the firearm in the police armoury after finishing his night duty. He added on hearing the gunshot security guards posted at the gate rushed to the scene and called up the police.

Kanda said based on preliminary investigations at the scene of the incident as well as statements given by the deceased’s family members, the police had initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. However, some of his colleagues, on condition of anonymity, said the constable might have died after accidentally firing his gun. Kanda said the police would also investigate this angle.

Meanwhile, the deceased’s brother, Ram Gopal Mishra, an air force sergeant, later told the police Jai was depressed over his family’s adverse financial condition. “His elder son was studying mechanical engineering and he was worried about paying his tuition fees besides meeting household expenses,” he added.